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Since then, people have been able to lodge two types of objections - type 1, which would stop extraction of data directly from GP records once care.data goes live, and type 2 which would block the HSCIC sharing any information it held on that patient, including from their GP practice, hospitals, or other sources.

Because today’s HSCIC release only covers type 2 objections, it does not reveal the potential full scale of patient objections to care.data.

Mr Hunt’s letter said: ’With effect from 29 April 2016, HSCIC is directed to establish and operate a system to process and uphold type 2 objections, where reasonably practicable and in accordance with the following principles.’

The HSCIC release shows that one in every 45 patients has registered a type 2 opt-out, although numbers differ vastly by region.

Phil Booth, coordinatior of privacy group medConfidential told Pulse: ‘Patients were offered a choice by Jeremy Hunt over two years ago, and it is about time the Department of Health delivered for the public.

‘Any loopholes must be clearly defined by Parliament, and not snuck through by civil servants looking to make their own lives easier. The collapse of care.data shows what happens when patient consent is ignored [and] we hope the politicians who run the NHS have learnt the lesson.’

The Government is still planning to roll out the care.data extraction of information directly from GP records once it has resolved the issues surrounding patient consent. Following the review, national data guardian Dame Fiona Caldicott has already shared her independent report with the Department of Health, but this has not yet been publicly released.

A spokesperson for Dame Fiona said: ’Dame Fiona looks forward to publishing the report in due course and to working alongside government and health and care organisations on the implementation of the recommendations.’

The type 1 opt-out blocks patient information being shared by their GP practice with HSCIC and the type 2 opt-out blocks the HSCIC sharing any informaiton held on that patient.

Neither opt out was supposed to prevent information sharing for the purpose of direct care, which would include schemes like the Summary Care Record or invitation for treatments, and opt-outs do not block fully anonymised aggregate information.